‘Flash’ TV Series in the Works for The CW, Spinning Off ‘Arrow’

The success of 'Man of Steel' not withstanding, Warner Bros. and DC Comics made their first major breakthrough push toward a shared cinematic franchise in past weeks by introducing a 'Batman vs. Superman' movie, though the silver screen was far from the only target. Sources say that DC has begun fast tracking a 'Flash' TV series to be spun off of 'Arrow,' but what does it mean for DC's overall cinematic plans?

The news comes to us from Deadline, who believes The CW will expound upon its plans during the TCA press tour panel later today. For now, the current plan will be for 'Arrow' producers Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns to write the 'Flash' pilot, David Nutter to direct, and Berlanti and Kreisberg expected to run the potential series, while Marc Guggenheim remains with 'Arrow.'

If and when The CW opts to move forward with 'Flash,' the character might first appear on 'Arrow' later this season, before building off into his own TV series. 'Arrow' fans will naturally point out that the Green Arrow-centric TV series has particularly avoided featuring any characters with superpowers, though producers expressed an openness to the idea of potentially incorporating Wonder Woman, who had herself been optioned for the TV series pilot 'Amazon' this past season.

It also remains to be seen if a 'Flash' TV series would help build toward the inevitable 'Justice League' movie, or simply build interest in the character before a cinematic iteration finally gets off the ground, as has been in the works for years. The character himself has a much stronger TV history, including a live-action 1990 TV series with John Wesley Shipp, and a more recent live-action adaptation from The CW's own Superman origin tale, 'Smallville.'

We'll bring you the latest on a potential 'Flash' TV series as it develops, but what say you? Are you interested to see another 'Justice League'-r brought to life, even if the ultimate movie goes a different way? Is 'Arrow' a good starting point for the character?